Lostprophets- WeaponsReview By Dani Jamieson

Lostprophets have done it again. This is a band that truly never ceases to disappoint. Each one of their albums is a punch in the gut that sends you to Mars and back- Weapons sends you through Mars and back- Lostprophets have taken their music one step further without losing the sound true to the Welsh band that makes them who they are. The band starts out the album with their infamous initial-blow-to-the-stomach type of a song, as usual. Lostprophets always keep me wondering how they could ever keep topping their intro songs (it’s hard to picture anyone, let alone the band, beating the intensities of “Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja”, “We Still Kill The Old Way”, and “Everyday Combat”). “Bring ‘Em Down” really did bring those other songs down. Compare the clean “dirtiness” of the guitars and drums to their old albums as well as front man Ian Watkins’s vocals and you’ll see just how much all of them have progressed together as a band. One thing I particularly love about the songs on this album is the fact that some of them have a heavy sound without leaving you depressed or angry (though I’m guilty for blasting songs like these when the mood is right). Instead, they leave you feeling empowered and energized- a difficult thing to do. “Better Off Dead” is a perfect example of this. Watkins lists all of these tragic things that come with this life nowadays while a perfect staccato guitar arrangement plays in the background. Weapons’s songs make your blood boil without making you pissed off to the nth degree- the album makes you want to get up and do something that will make today count. As always, Lostprophets ends their new album with a grand finale. The second to last song, “Somedays” is the gentler song of the bunch. It starts out with an acoustic set and then smoothly adds in more powerful drums, vocals and eventually guitar. It’s a perfect way to almost end an album. Before you know it, you suddenly hear the sounds of a dramatic synth-orchestra. BAM! Guitars come in with that same punch that hit you at the beginning. I won’t give away too much of the song- but make sure you listen to it. Don’t let the fact that it is fifteen minutes and fourteen seconds long deter you. Besides…it’s really not that long of a song. You see- it ends about four minutes and fifty-five seconds in…but there’s a little surprise for you somewhere in that abyss of silence. Lostprophets never miss a hit- this album is a perfect example of this. Now I’m going to be left wondering how they’re going to top this gem. They stump me…and I guess I’ll just have to accept the fact that I will never know until the next album. For now, let’s just bask in the infinite glory of Weapons. Make sure to check Lostprophets out on Warped Tour- they’ll be there from July 12th to August 5th. If the town closest to you isn’t within those dates- I highly suggest you plan a roadtrip.